Orioles Card "O" the Day

An intersection of two of my passions: baseball cards and the Baltimore Orioles. Updated daily?

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Jerry Hairston, Jr., 1999 Topps #426

Here's something you don't see every day. It's been 11 years since this "Prospects" card was issued, and all three players featured are still active. None of the three has developed into a real star, but they've been solid role players for a good while. Oddly enough, all three also set personal bests in home runs in 2009: Michael Cuddyer belted 32 for the Twins, Mark DeRosa clubbed 23 for the Indians and Cardinals, and Jerry Hairston, Jr. totaled 10 for the Reds and Yankees. I'm sure that means something, but just what that might be is a cosmic secret.

I love the '99 Topps set, it was a fun build. 1999 was one of those years where not many of the prospects featured are having huge careers -- especially for collectors -- but solid MLB roster players nonetheless. I guess that amounts to more at the end of the day than featuring 20 Brien Taylors and a Griffey.

deal - Hm, sounds like a fun challenge. I seem to remember that some of the 1978 Topps prospects cards were solid.

Craig - Yeah, the well was pretty dry. It's funny...I remember Hairston having much more hype than Brian Roberts. But Brian was healthier, and eventually got the chance to show what he could do.

William - Yeah, prospects are such a crap shoot. I don't know if you read Night Owl Cards, but the writer is a Dodgers fan. He remarked in a recent post that he now has THIRTY different Chin Lung Hu cards from 2008 alone. What a waste.

The Back of My Card

I can remember playing with baseball cards as a toddler, but I actually started collecting them when I was ten. Now I'm an adult looking for an outlet to talk about my hobby without receiving blank stares in return. You can contact me thusly.